Many thanks to Indy Reads Bookstore, Nine Irish Brothers, and Apex Publications for hosting the book signing and after party. I had a few drinks with everyone, gave away some cool swag, talked about the insane story behind the book, and then signed copies for almost two hours. Thanks to everyone that came out and made it such a special night. Here are a few fun pics the event:

Twenty-five years ago today, the fifty-one-day standoff between the Branch Davidians and the FBI came to an end. I spent two years of my life researching, writing, rewriting, and polishing a book set during the standoff.

There are plenty of excellent nonfiction books about Waco, but none of them give you a feel for what it was like to be trapped in that horrible situation. I wanted to write a book that humanized the participants, a book that could question (as I do) the actions of both the church and our government.

Today, it’s a book you can read. It’s the end of launch day, and I’m gathering up all the crazy goodness for you in one spot.

The early critical response to the book has been phenomenal. Check out the early reviews here:

Judgement day is here. It’s the 25th anniversary of the standoff in Waco, and my debut novel, Breaking the World, is now available in stores. With the book now available, I thought I’d corral the early reviews in one spot. The response to the book has been phenomenal. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Check out the reviews below, read an excerpt of the book, and consider picking up a copy from:

An absorbing blend of history and narrative fiction which elevates the Waco tragedy into an unforgettable exploration of society, faith, and truth. Breaking the World by Jerry Gordon is a compelling novel that thunders, and challenges, from page one. The characters are genuine, the struggles throughout are powerful, balanced, and thoughtful. The novel’s conclusion and Gordon’s ideas within do what great fiction often hopes to — defies and then transcends what we thought we knew.

The things we do to each other are more awful than any haunted house, ghoul, or demon could ever be, and in BREAKING THE WORLD, Jerry Gordon delivers an unflinching look at real-life horror. This novel will gnaw its way through your skull, burrow into your brain, and mess with you in the best way possible. It’s a pitch-black tale of moral ambiguity, with sympathetic characters facing a home-grown apocalypse of twisted faith, fire, and madness. It’s one of the strongest horror debuts in recent memory, which not only entertains but provides penetrating insight into a dark chapter of American history. This is horror done right.

— Tim Waggoner, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of Like Death and Some Kind of Monster

If Breaking the World had solely been about life within the Branch Davidian compound during the FBI standoff, I would have been perfectly content with this book. Gordon, however, ups the ante considerable… What Gordon does here is ballsy, of the big brassy kind, and I have to applaud him. It’s a move that I’m fairly certain will land Breaking the World as one of my best reads of 2018, and I’ll be thinking about this work for a good long while. Few books have jolted me or left me clamoring for a follow-up quite like this.